That’s not only a bummer for people looking forward to a milder winter than last year, it’s also a concern for those who live near rivers.

Brent Bauer of the National Weather Service in Seattle says it shouldn’t be, though:

“When you see it raining day after day, that’s not a signal that, ‘oh, we better watch out, it’s going to horrendous flooding,’" he says. “While we can have big floods, it doesn’t tie one-to-one with a wetter than normal season.”

He says La Nina’s influence is more of an indicator of increased landslide activity, especially on steep slopes and coastal bluffs:

“When you have those long periods of rain, the ground keeps soaking it up and gets wetter and wetter,” he says. “Then, a heavy rainfall on top of that is the prime trigger for getting landslides in Western Washington.”

Areas particularly prone to landslides include parts of West Seattle and railway lines near Edmonds, Mukilteo and Tacoma. Bauer says it’s “highly possible” that will lead to commute delays and disruptions of Amtrak service. Last year, Amtrak Cascades cancelled dozens of trains because of landslides during the La Nina winter.